Why Watch? Baylor is arguably the country's most
underrated team. 7th in the RPI, 5th in overall defense, a nice 27-7 record, and
yet you never hear about them. They face another underrated team in Saint
Mary's, who was under-seeded to begin with and has been playing top notch
basketball.

Why Saint Mary's will win:

Baylor has a good but not dominating
defense, and struggles particularly to guard the three. This plays right into
the hands of the Gaels, who are 6th in the country in 3-pt fg% and 16th overall
in offensive efficiency. In most of Baylor's losses, opposing guards have really
been able to light it up, and McConnell and Dellavedova have the ability to take
advantage.

Gael
to Watch:

Mickey McConnell, G - 14 ppg, 2 rpg,
5 apg

A lights out shooter (52% from 3),
McConnell will need to bring his A game against the Bears. When he's off (such
as the 1st two Gonzaga games), SMC can be in for long nights.

Why Baylor will win:

What separates Baylor from the likes
of Villanova and Richmond, who SMC beat to get here, is the interior presence of
Ekpe Udoh. Udoh, a 6-10 forward, is a top notch defensive presence who should
help prevent Samhan from another 30 &10 game. So long as Samhan is contained,
Baylor's guards are more than capable of matching up against SMC's backcourt.

Bear
to Watch:

Tweety Carter, G - 15 ppg, 3 rpg, 6
apg

Carter's been in a bit of a rut over
his last 3 games, which helps explains Baylor's mediocre efforts. Sure, they've
won 2 of those 3 (beating Sam Houston & ODU), but neither of the tourney wins
was that convincing. If Baylor not only wins but makes a statement that their
legit, Carter will need to step it up.

How it will go down:

Baylor, to me, has been one of the
least impressive Sweet Sixteen teams so far, and they've been far from a
dominant team away from home all season. Samhan should come down to Earth
against Udoh, but the 3-point shot will keep SMC in the game. It will be close,
but the Gaels fall just short in the end.